1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system, and in particular, to a computer implemented method for managing security in a data processing environment. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a computer implemented method, system, and computer usable program code for flexibly assigning security configurations to applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
When systems, applications, and users interact with each other in a data processing environment, maintaining security of access and data becomes an important consideration. For example, a user may attempt to access a file that the user may not be authorized to access. Determining the lack of authorization and preventing access under such circumstances is a security issue that has to be handled by security components of a data processing system.
Often, in making security decisions, security components utilize information that has been configured to resolve security related issues. Frequently, many systems and applications may exist and be operational in a given data processing environment at any given time. Different applications may face security issues different from one another. Consequently, different applications may require different security information to resolve those different security issues.
Furthermore, applications may execute under the control of, depend on the execution of, or relate to behavior of other applications. For example, an application may be served over a network via an application server. An application server is itself an application that executes under the control of another application, such as a web deployment platform that may manage several application servers, web servers, and proxy servers, as well as interfaces to one or more databases, directories, and directory servers.
In a commonly used data processing environment, architectures for serving applications may involve many other related applications and servers. Each of the served application and the other related applications and servers may manage a part of the overall security of data processing environment.
For example, a platform application may manage the security issues surrounding interfacing with other servers and communicating with data processing environments. An application server or a web server may handle the security issues surrounding the security of a secured Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS) during a session. The application being served to a browser or another system may handle the security issues regarding manipulation of data in certain files.